A Perfectly Different Network

The Perfectly Different Network, co-founded by friends Pam Saul and Robin Felton, was established to be a resource and networking center for parents and families with special needs children.

“People didn’t know what autism was when my daughter was little,” said Pam Saul, an Agoura Hills mother of two.

Felton, whose 14-year-old son has autism, said that starting up their business was challenging because there’s so much important information out there and parents have a hard time finding it in one place. “You don’t really know what’s out there until you ask or find the right connection,” said the Calabasas mother of three teenagers.

For example, one issue for families may be how to deal with going to the movies with children who have sensory disorders. Felton explains that Muvico Theaters in Thousand Oaks can lower the volume and make the theater a little brighter.

“They don’t advertise it and I only found out because I asked, but there’s no place to share the info,” she said. “They will even let kids with dietary restrictions bring their own food.”

Movie-going experience aside, parents with special needs children often make life-altering changes. In Saul’s case, her 19-year-old autistic daughter wanted to ride a horse. “So we bought a ranch and riding has been really therapeutic for her,” she said.

Thinking back to her own experiences, Saul knew something was wrong with her child when she was a toddler but couldn’t put a finger on it “We spent a lot of time in the car driving to see several specialists who came up with six wrong diagnoses,” she said.

The frustration and exhaustion eventually led Saul to seek certification as a behavior therapist. “It actually happened accidentally, because I was exposed to all these experts and resources with my daughter, so I went back to school and took the test,” said Saul, who now has her own private practice.

“Pam has a lot of good info and I have a lot of good connections,” Felton said of their friendship and business partnership, which led to the birth of The Perfectly Different Network.

By early January, the pair is set to launch the maiden issue of their semi-monthly e-newsletter.

“It will have everything from events, sports leagues, medical practitioners, service providers, vacation recommendations, recreation tips, advice and anything you can think of that will serve the special needs community,” said Felton.

There will be specific sections for young children, teens and those transitioning into adulthood, said Saul, whose daughter is in the latter stage.

The e-newsletter will be free to subscribers and will eventually welcome advertisers. “We do need to sustain ourselves,” said Felton, who is in charge of the marketing side of the business.

The duo has been reaching out to school districts, parent-teacher groups, sports leagues and civic groups from Woodland Hills to Thousand Oaks to get the word out.

“Some people hide to avoid getting labeled, but we want them to know what’s out there,” said Saul, who also plans to utilize social networking groups such as Facebook to let the community know about their presence.

Both agree that they have their work cut out for them. “We just want to build a lifelong community of caring,” said Felton.

For more information, or to be added to the subscriber list, please e-mail Perfectlydifferent1@gmail.com.